Thankful, times 100.

Several years ago I read an article about a woman who made a list of 100 things she was thankful for every year on Thanksgiving. Immediately, I decided that this was such a good idea that I'd get busy "borrowing" it for my own. I have to say, I've skipped the past few years - not because I wasn't thankful - but because life just spun a bit of a busy web around me. This year, however, I decided there would be no excuses. Throughout the Fall I began jotting notes down here and there when I would think of something - anything - for which I'm grateful. There is no rhyme or reason to what's on this list, nor to its the order. It's just 100 things - be they very big or very small - that I love, appreciate, notice, and cherish.

Happy Thanksgiving.

1.) Fresh cut Hydrangeas in Mason Jars.
2.) Stepping out of the shower onto a freshly laundered bathmat.
3.) Paydays.
4.) My Hometown.
5.) The fact that my father still lives in my Hometown and I can get back for a dose of love and home in NJ when my soul needs it.
6.) Summer Blueberries.
7.) Homegrown tomatoes.
8.) The sound my cat Sophia makes as she runs from the kitchen into my bedroom.
9.) When cars stop and allow me to cross the street as I'm walking to/from work.
10.) Walking on clean, hardwood floors in bare feet.
11.) Funny, witty emails and text messages from friends and family.
12.) Hearing my brother laugh.
13.) Watching my cats curl up and sleep together on my bed.
14.) The smell of Fall in the air.
15.) White Christmas lights - sitting on a clump on the floor, plugged in and waiting to be strung.
16.) Reconnecting with long lost, old friends via Facebook and the Internet.
17.) Landing at an airport knowing that someone you know and love is there to pick you up.
18.) Sleeping late without an ounce of guilt.
19.) Colors.
20.) Full Moons.
21.) Down Comforters.
22.) Tan Lines.
23.) A cozy, safe apartment to call home.
24.) My (still relatively) new job with my company.
25.) New boots.
26.) The smell of leather.
27.) Lucky pennies.
28.) Throwing caution to the wind.
29.) Baseball season.
30.) Phone calls from my family.
31.) Bouncing back from life's challenges and disappointments.
32.) The way my Mom says "whatcha doin?" when she calls to catch up on weekends.
33.) Being left-handed.
34.) Wood stoves.
35.) My stellar, lovely friends.
36.) Nut and caramel covered apples in the Fall.
37.) Helping my parents rake leaves in my Dad's front yard.
38.) My Grandma.
39.) Phone calls/letters/emails from my brother while he is deployed.
40.) My Mom's dog, Bailey.
41.) Men dressed in sports jackets.
42.) Really good movies shown in really dark, really quiet movie theaters that become a total "escape."
43.) Live music/songs that involve hand clapping.
44.) Making my friends laugh.
45.) Climbing into a freshly made bed with clean sheets.
46.) A good long soak in a bathtub.
47.) Ponytails.
48.) Summertime.
49.) Emails from my dear friend Matt.
50.) Knowing what I know at 31 - and realizing all that I didn't know at 21.
51.) A good cry.
52.) Watching my amazing, smart, funny, lovable friends become parents.
53.) Listening to NPR in the morning.
54.) Swimming.
55.) Yoga.
56.) Confiding and trusting in someone enough to let them know when you're worried, scared, or anxious.
57.) New clothes.
58.) Having an empty seat next to me when traveling.
59.) The view of Boston I see daily during my commute on the Red Line, as we cross the Charles River.
60.) Having Faith that everything is working out just the way it is supposed to.
61.) Listening to Red Sox games on the radio while sitting on my back porch on a warm summer night.
62.) Deep breaths.
63.) Perspective.
64.) Having common sense.
65.) Lingering over childhood memories that pop randomly back into my head.
66.) Contact lenses.
67.) My co-workers.
68.) The new issue of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar landing in my mailbox every month.
69.) Making enough money these days to not panic when the cashier announces the total for the groceries, wondering if I have enough money to cover the groceries and all of the monthly bills.
70.) Really, really good books.
71.) Sipping a warm cup of tea in the winter, pj's on, curled up with a good book, before bedtime.
72.) Mad Men.
73.) Tossing my hands up in the air and saying "what the hell?" every now and then.
74.) Napping at one of my parent's homes, knowing they're downstairs tinkering about.
75.) The way my Dad signs every card or letter with an appropriate adjective or noun listed before Dad. (i.e. Baseball Dad, Turkey Dad, Mr. Easter, etc.)
76.) Watching old home movies.
77.) Dinner parties with good friends.
78.) Blueberry Beer.
79.) The (quickly becoming a tradition) of spending a summer weekend up in Maine with friends.
80.) Talking books with random strangers on the T.
81.) Chatting with a friend about some life thought or issue and hearing them say "I totally get." And knowing, that they do.
82.) The smell of rain.
83.) Digging my toes in the sand at the beach.
84.) Dancing.
85.) Hearing my Mom call me "GaGa."
86.) My Jeep.
87.) Bookstores - rows and rows and rows of books just waiting to be read.
88.) My American Girl Dolls - remembering how much I loved them as a child and the fact that I still have them today.
89.) Box Gardening on my back porch.
90.) Co-workers stopping by my desk to say hello and have a quick visit during the workday.
91.) French Fries.
92.) Meeting friend's babies/children.
93.) Hot coffee in the morning.
94.) Good health - for me, my family, my friends.
95.) The blogs I've read for years.
96.) Receiving letters and cards in the mail.
97.) Learning, Growing, Risking, Believing.
98.) Sticking up for myself.
99.) YOU.
100.) Watching this life unfold.